By Your Side
by JazzthePoet
Summary: A Ryuuji x Taiga fanfic. What if... Ryuuji actually ran away with Taiga? What would've happened to them and where would they have gone? Find out here...
1. Prologue: The Feeling of an Interloper

**(AN) Hello everyone! Cassius here with a brand new fanfic! This one will be a tilted story continuation of Toradora! I finished watching it for the 3rd time and just can't get enough of Ryuuji and Taiga! A couple of notes before we begin...**

 **Since I'm not fluent with Japanese culture, I will be writing this without the suffixes at the end of the names.**

 **I'll be using the following names for our main characters: Taiga (Aisaka) Ryuuji (Takasu) Kitamura (Kitamura) Minorin (Kushieda) Ami (Kawashima)**

 **I know the name is actually Minori, but I've grown accustomed to Minorin so, sorry.**

 **I'll be addressing Kitamura by his last name because his first name is rarely used in the show, I'm guessing most people already know the other threes' first names.**

 **This story takes place during episode 24, but episode 25 won't be in this, and you'll see why.**

 **This IS a RyuujixTaiga fanfic, if you're not a fan of the canon couple, then I suggest you shouldn't read this.**

 **Watching the actual anime or reading the novel of this is HIGHLY recommended. I'll do my best to make it slightly stand alone, but watching the show will give you better understanding.**

 **Lastly, I hope y'all enjoy this story, the length of the story depends on your reactions, I'm not a tip top author though, so I'm sorry for any grammatical errors I have.**

 **Now without further ado, let's begin this journey!**

 _Late Evening: Kawashima Residence_

The night was quiet, the dark sky was illuminated by scattered stars accross the sky. Below that sky was a rectangular, multiple story house layered in a white paint finish. The windows yeilded a bright yellow light from the inside signaling that they were in use. It was on nights like these, where people should be camping around big, roaring campfires, not discussing about running away and getting married.

"Taaaiggaa!" An average height, scarlet haired girl cried out, tears filling the brim of her violet eyes. She was wearing simple, gray sweats that had nothing special about them. She knelt down, her knees sinking into the plush carpet, and hugged a meager girl. "You had me so worried! You itty bitty teensy weensy fool!"

The shorter girl, Taiga, had long chestnut hair that went down to her lower back. Her eyes were dark brown with a tint of red, but the tears filling her eyes caused it to become sparkly. She was wearing garb similar to that of her friends, only hers was a shade brighter.

"Minorin! Minorin!" She cried out the other girl's name, returning her hug. "I'm so sorry!" It was obvious that the girls were close friends.

Nearby were 3 other figures, two of which were male, and sitting on the floor, while the third, a girl, sat on the bed.

"Sorry about all the trouble we caused, Kitamura." One of the boys spoke up. He had short, cobalt hair that flowed down in front of his face, struggling to cover his narrow, sanpaku eyes. Ryuuji's eyes marked him as a delinquent at first glance, but truly he was a very kindhearted and mature character, despite his young age. Accordingly with everyone else, he too was wearing comfortable clothes, only his black shirt mismatched his gray sweats.

The other male, Kitamura, who had hair similar to Ryuuji's except the fact that he had a dark seaweed color, shook his head. "No worries, anyway, what's your plan now?" He asked him, green eyes shimmering. He was wearing monochromatic sleep wear that were a shade brighter green than his eyes.

The female on the bed shared a worried expression with Kitamura, her dark, wisteria eyes scrunching up in sadness, probably due to the news she received earlier from Ryuuji. Her name, Ami, complimented her midnight blue hair strangely well. She was wearing purple pajamas in a similar fashion to Kitamura. Going along with her figure as well, there wasn't a doubt she was a model.

In response to Kitamura's question though, Ryuuji turned his head to Taiga, who was still sobbing into Minorin's shoulder. Ryuuji cleared his throat loud enough to catch Taiga's attention, and they both shared a confident nod.

Taiga released Minorin, wiping her tears away with her sleeve, and sat next to Ryuuji, holding his hand. They both carried a light blush while they stared into the floor, giving the others an intense silence.

"Well, we..." Ryuuji started, closing his eyes. He started feeling a sense of regret for leaving Yasuko, his mother, behind without an explanation. " _I suppose she was just trying to do her best, but still..."_

"We're going to elope!" Taiga finished for him.

The three just stared at them, unknowing if their shocking answer was the truth.

Kitamura managed out a quiet "huh?" As if to question whether they were serious or not.

"We're completely serious!" Taiga blurted out, answering Kitamura's question.

Once again, the three stared at the couple, a piercing silence drilling into Ryuuji's and Taiga's ears as they waited for their friends' response.

 _"Is this really a good idea? A lot of things can go wrong..."_ Taiga's thought was cut off by her eye catching Ryuuji's calm face to her side. He looked as if everything was going to go smoothly for them and that what they were doing was right, and that was enough for her. _"Heehee, you know what? Why not dream a little?"_ She smiled to herself.

"WHAAAT?!" The three friends cried out in unison, causing the startled Taiga to release Ryuuji's hand.

Luckily though, Ryuuji expected this type of reaction, so he lifted his hand up in an attempt to direct their attention towards him.

"Look guys." Ryuuji grew a serious expression. "All we have to do is run away until I turn eighteen, which is in two months, and once we're married, then we can finally be free. No one could rule over us their expectations, and we can look at our parents on an equal level, but most importantly..." He turned and smiled affectionately at Taiga, grasping her hand tenderly. "I get to spend the rest of my life with the one person I care most about." Taiga turned to Ryuuji as well, blushing.

"Ugh, don't make it sound so cheesy!" She pouted childishly, holding back a smile. In truth though, his words meant a lot, and his last statement was enough to send her heart into warm shivers.

The three friends said nothing, for they didn't have the courage to speak up to him. They all shared mild feelings for their plan, especially Ami, who was now standing up.

 _"Man, these two are being ridiculous! I mean, getting married!? And for what, to prove that they're adults or something?"_ Ami's mind was racing at the thought of them running away together, and all the negatives that may occur along with it.

The silence grew louder and longer as time passed, but Kitamura, upon seeing Taiga was at her breaking point, decided to mutter a couple words.

"..I...see." With the ice finally broken, he decided to continued. "You just have to hold out for two months..." He put a finger to his chin, suggesting he was in deep thought.

"Why are you going along with this?!" Ami directed her snap at Taiga. "You can't run off and get married, you're being too dramatic!"

"It's only till Ryuuji turns eighteen." Taiga quietly countered. "Then we can-"

"And where are you going to stay?" Ami interrupted her.

"U-uh, well." Ryuuji stuttered, obviously unsure of what to expect. "Business hotels or manga cafes, to start."

"And what, you'll live like that forever?" Each one of her questions had a shot of venom in them, causing Ryuuji to wince.

"N..no, we plan on coming back." He exclaimed.

"You think you'll be able to?" Kitamura adjusted his glasses. "If they send out search parties, the whole school will know. You might get expelled." The info troubled everyone, giving them a worried look.

Everyone except Minorin, that was, who instead held a blank face. Over the years, she developed a skill to conceal her true emotions, a skill that came in handy after discovering Taiga's true feelings towards Ryuuji.

"You see..." Taiga spoke up, grabbing everyone's attention. "Everything I've ever wanted has fallen apart. So I decided long ago, that I didn't want anything at all." She turned and smiled at Ryuuji. "But now my feelings are now being reciprocated. My wish came true. So I wanted to break that jinx." Her expression hardened slightly. "No, I have to break it. That's why...that's why..." It was easy to tell she was on the brink to crying, as her eyes were shiny from newly produced tears.

Minorin's emotionless expression suddenly grew confident. She unzipped the front of her jacket, unveiling a small red-orange wallet. She then unzipped that, and pulled out a red passbook, holding it out to the couple.

"This passbook is nice and warm, it contains all the money I earned from working odd jobs." Her expression narrowed, making her look mad.

"W-what?" Ryuuji's eyes widened. "You can't expect us to-"

"Takasu, Taiga." She used Ryuuj's last name, a common practice among people there. "I don't think you're doing the right thing, by any means. I can't support your actions." Those words stung the both of them, especially Taiga, who was closer to the redhead.

"Minorin..." Taiga muttered.

"But if this is your way of doing things, I won't object to it. Please take this." Minorin stretched out her arm further towards them, inviting them to grab her passbook. "You can pay me back one day." She allowed a small smile to escape.

Ryuuji was taken back on her offer. Her seriousness was something Ryuuji rarely saw, but when it did, it shows just how good a friend Minorin was to them.

But then his attention was shifted the sound of rattling metal from behind him. He turned to see Ami standing up and holding out a set of keys for him.

"Here, these are the keys to my beach house." She smiled. "You've been to it before, so you should know how to get there."

"Kawashima." Ryuuji gasped Ami's last name. Ami being nice to Ryuuji was also a rare treat, in contrast to her usual self centered personality.

"Don't forget me." Kitamura spoke out, causing all eyes to fall on him. He pulled out a few slips of paper and held them like a hand of cards. "Please accept these rice vouchers." He grinned.

Ryuuji and Taiga looked at their friends' gracious offers, and they both started to tear up with wide smiles across their faces.

"Wow guys..." Ryuuji sniffed.

O-O-O-O-O

After a repeating process of declining then accepting their gifts, Ryuuji and Taiga decided that they needed to start packing up in order to leave by the following morning. So, they decided to just take the gifts and go to the front door.

"Well Ami, thanks for all of your help today." Kitamura bowed. He had also decided to head on back to his house for the night.

"Heya, good show!" Minorin enthusiastically agreed. "I need to have a little chat with Ami though, so you guys go on ahead, 'kay?" She wrapped an arm around the shocked girl's shoulder.

"Whaaa? Why would I chat with you?" She looked appalled by Minorin's sudden decision. They haven't been getting along well after their fight on the ski trip, so this was probably to tie up those loose ends.

"Oh, you made up!" Taiga smiled brightly, completely oblivious to Ami's discomfort. "That's great dumb-chi." That was Taiga's nickname for Ami, a combination of "dumb" and "chihuahua."

The model's cheeks tinted pink at Taiga and Minorin's friendliness towards her. "Just get out of here." She looked at the Minorin. "And you should too."

In response, Minorin gripped her arm tighter around her neck, making it obvious that she wasn't leaving.

"Well, Minorin, Dumb-chi, this is goodbye for now. We'll definitely see each other again."

"Yep." Minorin's facade couldn't be withheld for too much longer.

Ryuuji opened the door, allowing Kitamura and Taiga to walk through. "Goodbye." He waved, following his girlfriend through.

Panic set in for Ami, as she realized she'd be alone in her house with her natural opposite.

"Oh, wait." She called out softly to them, but it was too late as the door slammed shut. Ami sighed, prying Minorin's arm off of her. "What do you want to talk about? And get your hands off of me!" She failed at an attempt to remove her arm.

"Man, I'm so drained I can't even stand." To prove her point, Minorin released Ami's shoulder and fell to the ground, landing on her bottom.

"Hey! What are you..." She stopped mid comment to find Minorin sobbing into her arms pretty aggressively, an occasional hiccup being released from her. Seing her bawl was very uncomforting for Ami, due to the enthusiastic girl always having a spring in her step, which contrasted to her feelings currently.

"What? You wanted me to watch you cry?" Ami scoffed anyway, losing all of her sentiment immediately.

"Tears just mean that your heart's got a nosebleed." She hiccuped again after spurting out her metaphor.

"But why are you crying? Is is because Takasu took Taiga from you? Or is it..."

"I don't know." Minorin interjected. "I had...I had decided not to cry anymore." She continued to cry into her sleeves.

"Pathetic." Ami sat down next to the depressed girl.

"But I've learned something." Minorin claimed "If you trip while you run through the halls, your nose bleeds. But if you trip as you run through life, you cry." Her crying slowed down slightly.

"Are you stupid?" Ami said coldly. "We're way too young to wax philosophic about life. We still have at least ten, twenty, or sixty years ahead of us."

O-O-O-O-O

 _Late Night: In front of Takasu Residence_

"Run out as soon as you got everything." Taiga hurriedly said.

It was snowing lightly now, and the moonlight gave a truly blissful feeling to the night. It was pretty cold, causing Taiga to wear a white coat with a scarf. Ryuuji on the other hand stuck with a black suit and a similar scarf to that of Taiga's.

Ryuuji and Taiga parted ways with Kitamura shortly after leaving Ami's place. Kitamura saluted them dramatically as they turned to leave to their places, earning a smile from both of them.

Right now, they were discussing what to bring and what not to bring for the trip. Taiga wanted to bring a lot of frivolous things, while Ryuuji was sticking with a simple plan of cooking tools and a few outfits.

"Oh, and don't let Yasuk-"

"Don't worry, I can handle this." He reassured her, turning to his house. "I'll see you later."

"Wait!" Taiga reaches her hands out, as if hugging the air. "Ummm..." Her arms were released of tension and swung at her side. "Oh yeah! Bring a hairdryer. My stuff will be heavy enough as it is."

Ryuuji smiled. "Okay, you got it! But please, try not to bring too many frilly clothes. They'll just take up space."

"Ugh, I know already." She pouted, but her pout then shifted to an actual frown. "Come out as soon as you're done. Oh, and call me right away if anything happens." She said worriedly.

"Heh, I will. In a heartbeat." He replied, earning a bright smile out of the small girl. With a nod, she turned and ran away, back to her apartment.

Ryuuji watched as Taiga disappeared into the huge apartment complex, then turned to his own tiny apartment. Gritting his teeth, he pressed towards his home, determined but wary of what may happen.

Earlier that day, Ryuuji yelled at his mom, Yasuko, for the first time in his life. The memory of her crying still stung in the back of his mind, causing him to stop at his front porch, and grimace at his tearful memory.

But the thought of his girlfriend smiling brung him back to his senses instantly.

 _"I will patch things with her, another day, but today my goal is to pack and leave with Taiga by dawn light."_ He took a deep breath and turned the door knob. Without a second thought, he swung the door open casually, yelling "I'm home" as if coming back from school.

He was met with silence though, which was unexpected due to Yasuko's usually rash behavior. He took off his shoes and laid them neatly by the closed door. He walked through the dark hallway, for without lights the only source of brightness was the sun, which was killed off by the moon for now.

"Man, she's not back yet?" He walked to his living room to be met with a surprise.

"I-Inko!" The usual bird cage that hung from the ceiling containing his parekeet was missing. He looked around, looking for any trace when he noticed the closet was open with a few blankets missing.

"Hmm, so she was here." He pulled out his cellphone and dialed in the number to the bar Yasuko worked at. The phone rung a couple times, and then a click was heard followed by a female voice saying "Hello?"

"Hello, excuse me for asking but has Yasuko come by recently?" He asked politely.

"Oh, actually she called earlier stating that she won't be coming in for awhile. Is something wrong?"

" _Hmm, so she ran away."_ Ryuuji mentally face palmed. "No, there's no problem, just curious. Thank you, goodbye." He hung up on the women.

"Man, how annoying, what is she a chi-". His thought was interrupted when his eye caught a glimmer of silver on the floor. He kneeled down to pick up the object and the piece of paper that was beside it.

The object was a silver watch, nothing too fancy but it had a rustic and familiar feel to it. He turned his attention to the piece of paper with his name on it.

"This is probably from Yasuko huh?" He unfolded the paper, expecting an apology of some sort. But as his eyes scanned the page, he realized it was, instead, an explanation to the origin of the watch. The note also contained a set of intructions to the address of his grandparents, the owners of the watch.

"Hmmm, I've never met my grandparents. I wonder what they're like." The thought of two older Yasuko's, one male and one female, plagued his mind.

Ryuuji shook the thought off with a smile and went into his room to pack.

O-O-O-O-O

The next morning, Ryuuji walked out of his home to be greeted by the early morning rays of the sun, and more importantly, his future bride. A huge smile washed over Taiga's face as Ryuuji descended down his steps.

Him and Taiga have been through so much lately, problems with family, friends, and even with school, that they need a break.

"Hey Taiga, ready to go I propose?" She nodded eagerly, hauling up her massive luggage upward with a struggle.

Unfortunately, the weight became too much for her tiny frame, causing her to drop and stumble upon her suitcase. All the contents, consisting of a majority of clothes and beauty supplies, fell out onto the cement ground.

But that wasn't the only thing that fell to the ground, as Taiga's feet got caught under some of her shoes, she too fell face first into the floor.

"Oof." She used her hands to soften the landing, but a stinging sensation still rung in her palms. "Owww." She moaned, causing Ryuuji to sigh at the mess she made within seconds.

"Man, you're still a klutz." Ryuuji shook his head, making Taiga pout. "But you're a klutz that I love." He held a hand for her.

 **(AN) Wheew, that took AWHILE! I honestly hope you guys enjoyed it, (I thought it was kinda fine) and if you didn't PLEASE let me know what I did wrong and I'll try to adjust. If you couldn't tell, I added some minor differences to the story, but it followed the actual episode mostly. Now after this is where things change, hope you guys stick around to find out! See ya later!**


	2. Chapter 1: A New Life

**Chapter One! Only took bout a year. So about our main protagonists, Ryuuji and Taiga, I'm gonna try to keep them very similar in personality with that of the anime/manga, only I'm making Ryuuji a bit more polite** **with Taiga.** **That's all I have to say, so now, let's get it on!**

 _A Week Later: After the couple ran away..._

"Ughh, c'mon you stupid mongrel, hurry up!" Ryuuji and Taiga were walking, hand in hand, inside a supermarket, looking for food to last the rest of the week.

Well, they weren't as much as walking, as it was Taiga dragging Ryuuji along with her.

"Hey, take it easy! We have to spend Minorin's money sparingly, we can't afford to go broke yet."

"Why was there a 'yet' at the end of that sentence?"

"Well, judging by the amount of uneeded junk you've been buying, I'd say we're gonna be broke by..." Ryuuji stopped, comparing his coupon with a pack of rice. "Yesterday." He smirked. "I mean seriously, you call ME the dog but have you ever took a look in a- " Ryuuji instantly regreted his words. He tensed up and closed his eyes, expecting a blow to the head. He waited for at least a minute, expecting a very painful blow this time, only the strike never came. He decided to peek one eye open at her unusual silence, but he found himself staring into the eyes of a tiger.

"Uh oh..." Whenever Ryuuji angered her, she would usually retaliate with a punch or kick to his head, but whenever he REALLY angered her, she would outright ignore him, which was much worse in his opinion. And to prove his point, Taiga ripped her hand away from him and started storming off, walking in an unknown direction.

"Hey, Taiga! I was just kidding!" He called out to her, pacing behind her. "Really, I meant no offense!" Ryuuji really hated it when she got this way. He had actually come to terms with her consistent punching, and actually found it endearing in a strange way. But this was too painful, and it usually ended with Taiga in tears.

Taiga stopped abruptly in front of the baby section, allowing Ryuuji to catch up with her. "Am I really that bad?" She muttered, turning around and facing him.

"Of course not." He replied without hesitation. "It was only a joke, I swear." He resisted the urge to pick her up and hug her, for her adorable doll like appearence made it tempting. But he knew for the time being, she needed her space, so he kept his distance.

"But I mean, I have been getting a little... stubborn lately. So I guess, I'll try to be a little more conservative for now on, okay?" She stated quietly.

"Wow, Taiga." Ryuuji was speechless. Taiga had always been a bit more on the childish side, especially when he first met her, when she would demand and get things her way. But her maturity has spiked of the lately, and whether it was from them dating or the fact that they ran away, he wasn't sure.

"So, if I do my part, I want you to do yours." She walked up to him, and wrapped her arms in a light embrace. "So just keep doing what you're doing."

It was easy to tell, Ryuuji was in silent jubilation as he hugged her back proudly. "Keep doing what I'm doing huh? Guess I'll just keep hugging you then." He squeezed her harder, causing her to muffle something unintelligible into his T-shirt.

They shared each others' warmth for a little bit, and other than the occasional odd glance from someone passing by, they were completely alone. But inevitably, Taiga pulled back from his tight embrace and stepped back, much to Ryuuji's dismay.

"Heh, guess I got a little carried away there. How about we finish up shopping, and head on back to our hotel?" He grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah, you did get carried away there. Don't let it happen again, especially in public."

"Aaand she's back." He laughed to himself. "Hey, weren't you the one who initiated it?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Aww, come on, don't deny it." He boldly grabbed her hand again and started walking towards another aisle. "Anyway, let's just grab the last couple things and go home." He pulled her along at first, but she caught up to him, and, instead of one pulling the other, they walked side by side, like a casual couple.

Taiga turned her head around, getting a final glimpse of something before they turned a corner, the sight disappearing before her eyes.

O-O-O-O-O

Early _Afternoon: The Sleeping Sheep Hotel_

"Ryuu~uji" Taiga groaned very loudly. "I'm boooored, do something funny." The small girl was laying on a bed, her hair was sprawled across the pillows, her casual dress was starting to stick to her skin, and her eyes were replaced by lifeless black holes.

"Hang on a second ma'am." Ryuuji removed his cellphone from his ear and covered it with his hand. "C'mon Taiga, can't this wait till later? I'm trying to get reservations for an affordable hotel north of here." He explained. "Seems like they're no rooms left, but it appears that a guy may be leaving by tonight, allowing us to fill in for him."

There was no reply.

"Hey are you listening?"

"No."

"What do you mean no?!"

"No."

Ryuuji sighed, knowing she was doing this for her enjoyment, and decided to ignore her, putting the phone back to his ear.

"Sorry about that, as you were saying?" He opened the door and stepped outside, closing the door gently behind him.

Taiga, slighly amused, pulled out her cellphone, wondering if she could find someone else to annoy. She scrolled through her contacts, looking for the perfect prey, and she ended up stopping midway.

" _Minorin."_ Taiga hasn't talked to her best friend since the night before her and Ryuuji left. She felt like she needed to break the ice somehow, but each time she typed up a greeting like "long time no see", she would immediately delete the message. Without the proper courage, she figured that Minorin would, instead, text her eventually. Taiga put down her phone, and continued to sloth on the couch again, letting her imagination run wild.

Her mind had decided to set on how she first met Ryuuji, when the stupid dog wouldn't get out of her way while she was walking through the hall.

" _I wonder what would've happened to me if Ryuuji didn't care for me the way he did."_

Taiga had been cared for by Ryuuji ever since she snuck into his house at night, almost knocked him out with a wooden sword, and passed out from hunger in front of him. After which, he cooked her the first hearty meal she'd had in months. She knew too well, that living off of instant food really doesn't do good for the human body.

After that, it had been a consistent cycle of being woken up, fed, and cared for by Ryuuji. They even had the audacity of trying to pair each other up with their appropriate crushes.

Even though she always thought she liked Kitamura, she had realized her true feelings for Ryuuji during the summer trip at Ami's beach house. But, to be honest, how could she not like him? Ryuuji was always doing what he could to make other people happy, and he would always put her feelings before his own. Not only that, but he always carried a charming and protective nature that she felt was very endearing.

Taiga lifted her head up and looked towards the door, wondering what he was saying and doing beyond her earshot. A sudden urge of curiousity caught her off guard, and she leaped off the bed into a fast trot across the room and slammed open the door.

Only, the door didn't open all the way, instead, an obstacle of some sort stopped the door from swinging more than halfway.

"Gah!..." A voice gasped behind the door. Whoever it was, they fell with a loud "thump", making the ground shake beneath Taiga. She knew exactly who it was before she saw his face.

"Ryuuji!" Her panic was amplified tremendously by sheer shock, causing her hand to shake when she closed the door again. Sure enough, the figure on the ground was her boyfriend, or moreover, it was her unconscious boyfriend.

Taiga was used to inflicting pain upon Ryuuji on a daily basis, but whenever she accidentally hurts him, it was a slightly different story.

She quickly fell to her knees, taking note of his closed eyes, his open mouth, a rather large welt forming on his forehead, and the phone right next to his hand. She grabbed it in a swift motion and brung it up to her ear.

"-ello?! Mr. Yamamoto, are you okay?! Hello?!" The female voice was obviously starting to panic. "Should I call the police...?"

At first, Taiga was confused as to why the lady was addressing Ryuuji by that name, but she soon realized that it was the fake name that he and Taiga came up with soon after the start of their journey.

"N-no, he's fine." She gazed upon his unconscious figure. "U-uh, this is, uh... this is his wife by the way!" Her cheeks darkened in color.

That was the only response she could think of. She knew that he had to be old enough to reserve spots in a hotel, so she went along with being his spouse for the time being. A bold response? Yes. Was it good enough? She didn't know. But she quicky began to doubt herself as her response was greeted by silence.

" _Uhhgh, I'm so stupid!" She'll never buy that, why am I such a kl-_ "

"Oh, hello Mrs. Yamamoto. Is your husband feeling well? He was cut off by a loud bang while I was speaking with him."

"Y-yeah, he's just resting." She smiled softly, resting a hand on his forehead. "Some idiot accidentally slammed a door in his face." Her guilt came back after her wariness disappeared.

"That's a relief, I thought something terrible happened to him. Well, when he wakes up, be sure to tell him that his reservations will be recorded as soon as Mr. Takasu leaves tonight. "

"That's great, I'll be sure to let-" She gasped at a possible revelation. "Wait, what did you say?!"

"N-nothing! Just that your reservations will be recorded." The lady nervously replied.

"After that!"

"That Mr. Takasu leaves tonight?"

Taiga was in massive shock, letting the phone slip out of her hand, which landed with a quiet "clack" noise. " _No...no...it..it can't be._ _Ryuuji said that he was 'long gone'_. _Is it possible? Of all the places in the world, is it possible that he's here?"_ Taiga's mind was going into overdrive. " _M-maybe this is a different Takasu. Yeah, just another ordinary man that coincidentally has the same name as Ryuuji. So, I SHOULDN'T alarm him about it. Or should I? UUHHGH"_ Taiga started rubbing her temple ferociously.

She noticed that the phone was still in the call, and again, swiped it up in a quick motion, putting it up to her ear.

"-ing alright?! Oh god, what now?" The woman groaned loudly, most likely unsure on what to do.

"We'll be there tomorrow morning." Taiga gruffed quietly. "Bye."

She hung up on the lady, dropping the phone like a comedian would a mic. She was too stressed to care right now, and that stress even caused her to slump down right next to Ryuuji, taking a big gulp of air in the process.

"Mmmm." The floor has never felt more comfortable for Taiga. When Ryuuji first introduced her to a picture of his father at a diner, she was unable to stop her barbaric laughter for a good 5 minutes straight. The picture itself wasn't something to get jitters over, for it only consisted of a picture of Yasuko and her boyfriend.

But what made Taiga howl with laughter was the fact that Ryuuji's eyes matched the man's perfectly. The tiny sanpaku eyes glared a wave of intimidation just as his son's.

But whenever he talked about his father, Ryuuji only spouted negative nonsense about him. Ryuuji absolutely hated being compared to his dad, especially when Yasuko would say he carried his old man's sinister shroud. In fact, the only positive light Ryuuji has ever put his dad in was after Taiga's own dad came back to town.

She grimaced at the mere thought of her dad's stupid smiling face. She shook her head, perishing the thought of any father out of her head. Instead, she focused her attention on the snoring figure next to her.

The welt took shape very quickly during her personal skirmish, leaving a rather large red and purple mark imprinted on his forehead. But other than that, Ryuuji looked content sleeping on the ground next to her. She smiled brightly.

"I'm sorry Mongrel, didn't see you there." She grabbed his hand which was resting in an awkward position. "I know we shouldn't keep secrets from each other, but I don't wanna hurt you more than I already have." She whispered to him quietly.

She felt tired, and she wanted to rest her eyes just like her beloved. Unfortunately, a pedestrian holding a single grocery bag stopped in his tracks right in front of them.

"Oi, are you alright!" He dropped the bag and crouched next to the couple.

Taiga really wasn't in the mood for someone so smelly to be in her business. She turned and faced the skimpy, bald man and gave him the nastiest glare she could muster.

"Go. Around." She growled. The man didn't need to be told twice. He picked up his bag, and with his back against the wall of the cramped hallway, shuffled passed the young couple on the ground.

Taiga sighed in relief and watched the world go dark as she shut her eyes and fell asleep.

 **Well, it's been awhile. So yeah, I'm back, hopefully for longer this time.**


End file.
